philosophy

phi·los·o·phy

noun \fə-ˈlä-s(ə-)fē\

plural -phies

Definition of PHILOSOPHY

1

a (1) : all learning exclusive of technical precepts and practical arts (2) : the sciences and liberal arts exclusive of medicine, law, and theology <a doctor of philosophy> (3) : the 4-year college course of a major seminary

b (1) archaic : physical science (2) : ethics

c : a discipline comprising as its core logic, aesthetics, ethics, metaphysics, and epistemology

2

a : pursuit of wisdom

b : a search for a general understanding of values and reality by chiefly speculative rather than observational means

c : an analysis of the grounds of and concepts expressing fundamental beliefs

3

a : a system of philosophical concepts

b : a theory underlying or regarding a sphere of activity or thought <the philosophy of war>

4

a : the most basic beliefs, concepts, and attitudes of an individual or group

b : calmness of temper and judgment befitting a philosopher

Examples of PHILOSOPHY

1. Her degree is in philosophy and religion.
2. The group eventually split over conflicting political philosophies.
3. Her main cooking philosophy is to use only fresh ingredients.
4. There's plenty of blame to go around: poor regulation, eight years of a failed Republican economic philosophy, Wall Street-friendly Democrats who helped stymie reform, misguided bipartisan efforts to promote home ownership, Wall Street greed, corrupt CEOs, a botched rescue effort, painfully fallible central bankers. —Daniel Gross, Newsweek, 9 Mar. 2009
5. Broadly speaking, philosophy has three concerns: how the world hangs together, how our beliefs can be justified, and how to live. —Jim Holt, New York Times Book Review, 15 Feb. 2009
6. Almost none of the kids were older than twenty-five, as if there were a sell-by date on radical social philosophy, a legal age limit after which one must surrender lofty ideals and shave off all dreadlocks. —Matthew Power, Harper's, March 2008
7. In their mission statement, the editors bragged of their firm commitment to equality and social justice, but their philosophy didn't prevent them from summoning Lindsey to perform all their menial tasks. —Kim Wong Keltner, The Dim Sum of All Things, 2004

Origin of PHILOSOPHY

Middle English philosophie, from Anglo-French, from Latin philosophia, from Greek, from philosophos philosopher

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to PHILOSOPHY

Synonyms

credo, doctrine, dogma, gospel, ideology (also idealogy), creed, testament

Related Words

manifesto; metaphysic, theory; axiom, tenet, watchword

Other Philosophy Terms

dialectic, dualism, epistemology, existentialism, metaphysics, ontology, sequitur, solipsism, transcendentalism

Rhymes with PHILOSOPHY

theosophy

philosophy

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Critical examination of the rational grounds of our most fundamental beliefs and logical analysis of the basic concepts employed in the expression of such beliefs. Philosophy may also be defined as reflection on the varieties of human experience, or as the rational, methodical, and systematic consideration of the topics that are of greatest concern to humanity. Philosophical inquiry is a central element in the intellectual history of many civilizations. Difficulty in achieving a consensus about the definition of the discipline partly reflects the fact that philosophers have frequently come to it from different fields and have preferred to reflect on different areas of experience. All the world's great religions have produced significant allied philosophical schools. Western philosophers such as Thomas Aquinas, George Berkeley, and Søren Kierkegaard regarded philosophy as a means of defending religion and dispelling the antireligious errors of materialism and rationalism. Pythagoras, René Descartes, and Bertrand Russell, among others, were primarily mathematicians whose views of reality and knowledge were influenced by mathematics. Figures such as Thomas Hobbes, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and John Stuart Mill were mainly concerned with political philosophy, whereas Socrates and Plato were occupied chiefly by questions in ethics. The Pre-Socratics, Francis Bacon, and Alfred North Whitehead, among many others, started from an interest in the physical composition of the natural world. Other philosophical fields include aesthetics, epistemology, logic, metaphysics, philosophy of mind, and philosophical anthropology. See also analytic philosophy; Continental philosophy; feminist philosophy; philosophy of science.